A new study suggests the Shingrix shingles vaccine may offer protection against heart failure, heart attack, and stroke. Researchers at the University of Oxford compared health records of individuals who received the older shingles vaccine with those who received Shingrix.
Data scientist Maxime Taquet and his colleagues discovered that those vaccinated with Shingrix experienced a 1.3 percent lower rate of cardiovascular diseases over a seven-year period compared to those who received the previous vaccine. This translates to 96 out of 1,000 people experiencing heart problems versus 109 out of 1,000 people, according to Taquet.
The study, published in *Nature Medicine* on August 26, utilized a “natural experiment” comparing individuals vaccinated in 2017 with those vaccinated in 2018. The older vaccine, discontinued in 2017, had previously been linked to a potential reduction in dementia risk, though recent research has questioned that connection. Taquet’s team initially investigated whether Shingrix might protect blood vessels, potentially offering cardiovascular benefits.
Taquet describes the potential benefits as “puzzling and interesting and intriguing,” noting that the vaccine might be impacting health in unexpected ways. He emphasizes that even a small reduction in cardiovascular disease risk could save thousands of lives if the findings are confirmed through clinical trials, stating that the impact “would be enormous.” Shingles, caused by the same virus as chickenpox, affects approximately 1 million people annually in the United States.
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